Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon expressed optimism that young professionals and fresh graduates will join the agency to help drive transformation and support ongoing anti-corruption reforms within the department.
The government is recruiting “idealistic” and “dynamic” young professionals to restore public trust in the government.
“There is hope, but that hope depends on people like you joining us. There are many ‘bad seeds’ here that we need to remove and replace with your generation,” Secretary Dizon stated during the agency’s recent job fair.
Addressing the students and alumni in attendance, he acknowledged the stigma of public service. “I know you might be hesitant to join the government because of concerns about corruption and inefficiency. But if you don’t join, who will? We need you to be the change.”
The massive recruitment of young professionals is part of the reform to streamline the sports system in the DPWH. At the same time, the DPWH also issued Department Order No. 18, which seeks to strengthen merit-based promotion and hiring of DPWH personnel nationwide.
Meanwhile, Dizon emphasized that a fundamental shift in mindset is required among DPWH personnel, urging them to focus on the total completion of projects to provide genuine convenience to the public.
Dizon explained that the progress rate of projects is not important to the public, but the convenience it brings and the absence of disruption to their daily lives.
“I tell our DEs [District Engineers] and RDs [Regional Directors ] that what is lacking is an understanding of what our countrymen are going through; there is a lack of empathy. They often view it as ‘just another project,’ not realizing that completing it quickly brings immense relief and comfort to the public. That is the mindset within the DPWH that must change,” Dizon said.
He further emphasized that “near-completion” is not enough to serve the public effectively.
“Unless a project is 100 percent complete, it is effectively useless because the public cannot use it. Take a bridge, for example—if it is 90 percent finished, it serves no purpose. You can’t exactly climb up and then jump to the other side,” he added.
Dizon also assured that there will be no more sports and that the appointments of officials and employees to be appointed will not be influenced when it comes to positions in the agency.
“No more sports. Proper and prompt maintenance of roads, bridges; completion of pending projects; and on-time completion of projects will be the basis for promotions and appointments,” he added.
Under the new policy, officials will be evaluated based on the timely delivery and quality of projects, the proper maintenance of roads and bridges and the speed of their response to damage caused by natural or man-made disasters.
